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A powerful and complex novel, with many strong characters, it is the story of Jed Tewksbury, an uprooted and alienated man. Born just at the end of WWI, on a run-down farm, Jed's childhood is a difficult one. In high school, his dedicated Latin teacher and Jed's football prowess combine to get him a scholarship in a jerkwater college, but he lat... more »er enters graduate school at the University of Chicago where he goes on to excel in the field of literature. After fighting overseas in WWII, Jed returns and marries, but the marriage is ill-fated. Jed moves to a new job, and becomes involved in another love affair, again ill-fated. Middle-aged and now a figure of world renown, Jed goes back to his small hometown in Alabama. There, at his mother's grave, he makes some kind of peace with himself and with his past, in one of the most moving passages ever written.« less